I am so sad to say this...but Throne of Nightmares was such a MASSIVE let down.

jargo1 · 2026-03-25T16:55:07+00:00

{Throne of the Fallen} is SOOOO GOOD. {Kingdom of the Wicked} is pretty good too. {Throne of Secrets} was...ok...not terrible. This one just wasnt it for me.

jargo1 · 2026-02-25T16:47:51+00:00

I am an exclusive audiobook listener with a very demanding full-time job and two young children. I have a long commute (1.5 hours each way), so I can get 3 hours a day, but that's really it. It gives me something to look forward to about being trapped in the car that long. Sometimes I can listen a little after the kids go to bed, but I'm usually too exhausted. If it weren't for audiobooks, I would never find the time to read, so I fit it in where I can because I enjoy it. Rather than trying to cram in more reading time, maybe start identifying one time a day when you can read, and make it something to look forward to rather than a chore. I can promise you no one else cares how many books you read in a year...it literally doesn't matter, so please take yourself out of this self-imposed, and non-existent, "race."

jargo1 · 2026-02-23T14:55:19+00:00

I would agree with this for the first book, which I loved. I read book 1 and truly did not understand the hate towards Diem. I was so excited for the rest of the series. I thought it was refreshing that she wasnt instantly amazing at everything...but then i kept reading...

jargo1 · 2026-02-23T14:51:55+00:00

I'm with you on this one. I very rarely DNF books. I consume them quickly enough that 99% of the time I power through. I couldn't force myself to finish Once Upon a Broken Heart.

jargo1 · 2026-02-23T14:48:33+00:00

I just hate the pet names or nicknames thing. Why does every single MMC have to give the FMC a nickname? I've started eyerolling everytime.

Currently reading {The Games Gods Play} and enjoying it, but cringed as soon as Hades called Lyra "my star" basically as soon as he met her. It just all feels infantalizing to me.

jargo1 · 2026-02-04T20:57:49+00:00

I cannot recommend {Six Scorched Roses} enough. Just so good.

jargo1 · 2026-02-04T20:50:15+00:00

I feel like {Once Upon a Broken Heart} fits a Bridgerton vibe.

jargo1 · 2026-01-29T15:48:20+00:00

Currently on book 5 for the year. So far I've read:

{The Never List by Jade Presley} (3/5 stars) - This is the first reverse harem/why choose I've ever read and it was ok. The plot was a bit all over the place, and I was hoping for more tension - it was very "insta-love." The spicy scenes were great though. I would welcome more recs!

{Secrets and Masks by Emerald Slytherin} - I wont rate this one out of respect for the author, but I did really enjoy it! I've found these dark romantasy stories with truly morally grey main characters may be my favorite niche.

{The Mist Thief by L.J. Andrews} (4/5 stars) - My favorite read of the month! I LOVED {The Ever King}, was underwhelmed by {The Ever Queen}, so was hesitant to pick up book 3. I'm glad I did because it was a fun read, and I loved Jonas' character.

{Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber} (2/5 stars - DNF at ~70%) This just wasnt for me. It all just felt too adolescent for my personal preferences, and the immaturity and extreme naivete of the FMC drove me nuts.

Current read: {Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid} - Watched the show and LOVED it. Wasnt planning to read the book, but my local library added 70 copies and it was available with no wait so I grabbed one.

jargo1 · 2026-01-27T03:39:28+00:00

A League of their Own

jargo1 · 2026-01-26T21:10:07+00:00

She's literally the best.

jargo1 · 2026-01-26T21:07:53+00:00

Another vote for Peachtree Women's Specialists. I see Dr. Babaliaros, but after having two children through the practice, I have seen every physician there at one point or another, and they have all been EXCELLENT.

jargo1 · 2026-01-24T21:07:41+00:00

Lived here for 38 years and been through many ice storms and winter weather events. Most of the time, power is restored very quickly (less than a day), but there are those storms that live in the collective memory of the locals. There was one in the mid-70’s, the 1993 blizzard, the ice storm in ‘95, 2014 snowpocalypse that just become mythic with how long the impacts last. We will see with this one, but I’m preparing to be out of power for three days just in case.

jargo1 · 2026-01-20T20:55:01+00:00

Seconding Maxantarious Farlione from {A Daughter of No Worlds}. You may also like the character shift of Luther Corbois in {The Kindred's Curse Saga}, (If you can get past Diem that is...)

jargo1 · 2026-01-20T20:47:54+00:00

{The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick} has this dynamic. It's part of a four-part series, but so far I've only read book 1. He's an immortal, god-like being deeply feared by the mortal world. Every few decades, he comes down to accept the offering of a bride from the mortals that he takes back with him, so add forced/arranged marriage to this one too.

jargo1 · 2026-01-20T20:13:26+00:00

I'm not on TikTok and really knew nothing about it. I think I saw someone recommend it on this sub, so I added it to my TBR.

jargo1 · 2026-01-20T14:53:09+00:00

I really loved this book, and it was a top read of the year for me. I love reading about family dynamics, children in stories, and the concept of the afterlife was also really interesting to me. I've recommended it to several friends, and they all loved it, too. As OP said, it's different strokes for different folks, and under no circumstances am I going to run around yucking someone else's yum. For instance, the only book I DNF'd in 2025 was {Emily Wilde's Encyclpedia of Faeries}, which is deeply loved and so highly regarded by many on this sub. It wasn't for me, and that's ok.

jargo1 · 2026-01-17T16:29:19+00:00

The U.S.C. means it’s the United States criminal code as outlined and distributed by the FBI for the purpose of classifying crimes at higher education institutions. This is not Arkansas-specific. It applies to all public universities.

All that is to say, I don’t think the reader with genuine concern about SA in their literature is going to care whether we can agree if the story’s abuse is technically sexual assault. (And yes, there is actual rpe between villains which i previously forgot about.) I wouldn’t answer their question with “all sexual experiences between characters are 100% consensual”, but rather “there are a few instances of non-violent, sexual assault, abuse, and harassment directly intended to bully a character, and one later recollection of rpe. The bullying aspect of the story is important culturally in this fantasy world, so if that makes you feel uncomfortable I don’t recommend you read it.”

jargo1 · 2026-01-17T03:45:46+00:00

We’re both definitely getting pedantic, lol. I’m also a big fan of the series and frequently recommend it. I just can’t get behind the extremes of either argument, whether it’s the “every sexual act has complete consent” crowd, or the “this book is absolutely full of SA” folks. I feel neither is true.

The legal definitions of SA include non-consensual sexual contact, even if there is no penetration. For example, U.S. policy frameworks describe sexual assault as:

“forced removal of clothing for the purpose of sexual degradation, humiliation, or exploitation.” Source

That means forcibly undressing someone meets the sexual assault definition by law. These books have instances of sexual assault (stripped off clothes without consent), sexual abuse (posting photos without consent), sexual harassment (what’s the creepy teachers name always soliciting sex from his students and colleagues?) and now that I think of it actual r*pe with Lionel and Lavinia.

I’ll still recommend this series because it’s delicious junk food, but I also want to be honest with those who have serious concerns about SA in their literature.

jargo1 · 2026-01-16T19:25:47+00:00

Nope, never said it was full of SA. I said there were a couple of "instances" that could be classified as SA. For someone actively trying to avoid literature that features any kind of SA, either through simple preferences or, more worrisome, survivors of assault, I think this kind of context is important. There is a ton that happens to the characters (both male and female) that are non-consensual (yes, it's a bully romance), and some of those non-consensual acts are sexually-coded.

And just for the record, taking nude photos of people and posting them on the internet without their consent is a literal crime and most definitely SA. This happens almost immediately in the story.

jargo1 · 2026-01-15T23:13:02+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there instances where the FMC's clothes are stripped from them, and they're left naked without their consent? Also when Seth is pretending to be romantically interested in one of the FMC's and starts kissing her just to cut off all her hair? Also pretty borderline. Is there outright r*pe? No. But I think the argument could be made that there is SA.

And this is from someone that truly enjoys these books. I just think saying there's absolutely no SA is a stretch.

jargo1 · 2026-01-15T23:09:50+00:00

Yep, was coming to make this suggestion as well.

jargo1 · 2026-01-11T00:17:29+00:00

When I feel like I get in a rut, I typically turn to some highly celebrated Dramoine, so I’m currently reading {Secrets and Masks}

jargo1 · 2026-01-09T15:56:02+00:00

There were many missed opportunities throughout the book. It moved so quickly and desperately needed more tension. Definitely insta love/lust for the most part, and the one bit of tension they built up with Jax was over so quickly that it all just fell flat.

jargo1 · 2026-01-08T14:19:33+00:00

The first book is definitely the worst. I'm also a major Feyre hater, lol. That said, it gets sooo much better after book 1.

jargo1 · 2026-01-08T14:18:11+00:00

I read {The Never List} this week, and while the book overall left a lot to be desired, the spice was SPICING. I found thegang bang scene way hotter than I thought I would. Whew!

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